Battle of Eindhoven

The Battle of Eindhoven occurred on 18 September 1944 during Operation Market Garden in World War II. The US 101st Airborne Division sought to capture the city's bridges after an airborne assault, and the Americans, assisted by Brian Horrocks' British XXX Corps, would succeed in liberating the city from German occupation.

The 101st Airborne, commanded by Maxwell D. Taylor, landed at Son on 17 September, and it moved south to secure the vital Dutch city of Eindhoven and its bridges the next day. The Americans failed to secure the bridges at Son and Best, so they instead moved into northern Eindhoven as the Irish Guards advanced from the south. The Irish Guards faced determined resistance from German infantry and tanks, but, at around noon on 18 September, the 101st was met by the lead reconnaissance elements of XXX Corps. By nightfall the Guards Armored Division had established itself in the Eindhoven area.

The fighting for Eindhoven was serious, with the Germans attempting to counterattack against the Allied gains. American forces secured a church that was used by scores of German soldiers as a sniper base, and they later drove into the Industrial District to clear the way for XXX Corps' advance. Fighting was especially fierce at a Philips factory, where the Americans engaged in close-quarters fighting with a large amount of German soldiers. The Americans took floor-by-floor, eventually reaching the roof and clearing it of snipers. Eindhoven was secured after that, but the Luftwaffe would proceed to bomb transport columns that were jammed in the packed streets.

On the morning of 19 September, units of the 101st sent to take Best the day before were forced to yield to German counter-attacks. By late afternoon, with the help of British tanks, the Americans had succeeded in repulsing these attacks. On the night of 19-20 September, 78 German bombers launched their only large, long-range airstrike of the autumn of 1944 when they bombed Eindhoven. As the Allies had no anti-aircraft guns in the city, the Germans shattered the city center, gutted 200 houses, damaged 9,000 buildings, and caused 1,000 civilian casualties, including 227 dead. Elements of the 101st witnessed the attack and escaped loss, and the US 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment rushed into the city to save civilians. The city was the first major Dutch town to be liberated by the Allies during World War II, and the British would advance through the town to assist the push on Arnhem.